Hamburgao in Kearny specializes in big sandwiches and Brazilian-inspired fare

Just like its name, Hamburgao restaurant’s menu makes quite a statement.

“It means big sandwich in Portuguese,” owner Pablo Nery, 24, said of his Kearny Avenue restaurant’s name. “It just sounded right at the time.”

Hamburgao specializes in Brazilian-inspired sandwiches and pastries, including two popular favorites, chicken balls and empanadas.

Chicken balls, a fried pastry filled with shredded chicken, is served with just chicken or with chicken and cheese inside, Nero explained.

His restaurant also puts its own slant on empanadas. “We do it a little different. You can have it with cheese or meat. We also have hearts of palm, chicken and Brazilian cream cheese.”

The cream cheese, he says, is an old family recipe. “It’s a recipe that my father brought it with him when we opened the restaurant,” Nero said.

But that’s not their only old-world touch. “Our sauce is very famous. Everybody loves the pink sauce. It’s a secret recipe. Its goes along with the sandwiches. It’s creamy like mayo, but it has more flavor to it.”

Owner: Owner: Pablo Nery, 24

How did he get his start? “We started back on Dec. 1, 2001, with the location in Newark that was our first one. At the time my dad was still here. Now he’s retired. He had friends living in Kearny. He saw it was a great opportunity. There was nothing similar to what our food was at the time. I’ve been working for my dad since I was 14. It’s a long time in the restaurant business. My dad (Silvio) opened the business. We thought it was a good fit in the city. We saw there was a good amount of people. We knew it would fit well with our type of food.”

How long has the shop been in business here? “We opened here Oct. 12, 2004. We had the mayor come in at the grand opening.”

What will you find inside? “We specialize in sandwiches. That’s what we’re famous for. It’s from a Brazilian background. That’s were my dad is from. He’s from Juiz de Fora.” “A type[of sandwich] is called the Hamburgao chicken. And that comes with bread, the chicken breast, ham and cheese, eggs, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, potato sticks and mayo. It’s unique. It’s very good. It’s surprising at first. It’s made to order. Overall, everybody that tries it, loves it. We serve Brazilian pastries. The chicken ball, empanadas, Brazilian style, there’s ham and cheese croquet.”

What are the price points? Sandwiches range from $3 -$7; pastries and desserts range from $1-$3.50; salads range from $5.50 -6.50.

What makes the place unique? “The food, first of all, is unique. You won’t find that basically anywhere else. We have a very young, staff and friendly. We’re very known for that. Our main color is orange. We have a very famous logo. It’s a pit bull holding a plate with a sandwich on top. People know us by the logo.”

Who does the shop cater to? “It’s very diverse. I get a lot of people that live in the area. We’re not limited to one kind of people. Everybody likes our food.”

What are the owner’s plans for the business? “My plans for the future is to definitely expand, including some areas in New Jersey and outside New Jersey. I went a couple of times to Florida to take a look down there.”

What does the owner like best about his location and his business? “It’s kind of in the middle of everything. There’s a huge parking lot right in front of the store. The people in Kearny are great.”